The in-development stage musical adaptation of cult-favorite film Can't Hardly Wait will get an invitation-only industry reading in Los Angeles November 21 at the Los Angeles LGBT Center. Kate Sullivan will direct.

The reading cast will feature Kenton Chen as William, Kayla Foster as Denise, Gabe Gibbs as Preston Meyers, David Hurt as Mike Dexter, Elizabeth Judd as Amanda Beckett, Nina Nelson as Taylor, Jose Ramos as Kenny, and Stephanie Styles as Yearbook Girl, with an ensemble featuring Melanie Brook, Doran Butler, Anthony Carro, Matt Kontur, and Lee Rodriguez. Casting is by RBT Casting's Ryan Bernard Tymensky.

The project has been in the works since 2024 from Lively McCabe Entertainment and Primary Wave Music, who have paired the 1998 film with a jukebox score of hits from the late '90s and early 2000s. Sinead Daly is adapting the screenplay by Deborah Kaplan and Harry Elfont (both of whom also directed the film), with Jesse Vargas handling arrangements and orchestrations. The project looks to capitalize on the Primary Wave and Sony Music Publishing catalogues, which we can expect to handle most of (if not all of) the songs ultimately included.

The coming-of-age story centers on a group of high school seniors at a house party on the eve of their graduation. The film starred a host of '90s teen idols, including Lauren Ambrose, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Seth Green, Selma Blair, Jenna Elfman, Melissa Joan Hart, Jerry O'Connell, Jason Segal, Sean Patrick Thomas, and more.

The reading's creative team will feature music director Jesse Vargas, associate music director and copyist Xander Ambrose, stage manager Rich Wong, assistant stage manager Brian Semel, and script supervisor Grady Wood. Kristi Hess is line producing for Lively McCabe.

Michael Barra and Allison Bressi are shepherding the project for Lively McCabe, with Natalia Nataskin and Ramon Villa handling for Primary Wave.